My thoughts on the Phillies season.

2011 National League Divisional Series, Game #5: The Phils are once again knocked out of the playoffs, as they lose a 1-0 duel with the Cards.

The Phils are knocked out of the playoff, as they are three-hit by Cards’ ace Chris Carpenter, losing a 1-0 pitchers’ duel.

The Cards took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Skip Schumaker hits an RBI double, knocking in Rafael Furcal, who had started the game off with a triple. That would turn out to be the game’s only run, as Phils’ starter Roy Halladay would pitch his way out of a bases loaded jam later that inning, followed by a second bases loaded jam in the eighth, while Chris Carpenter almost went through the Phils’ line-up with little trouble, only getting into trouble in the fourth, before ending the game by getting Ryan Howard to ground out, 4-3, as he fell down in the baseline as he tore his achilles tendon on his left ankle trying to bust down the line.

Chris Carpenter (1-0, 3.00) gets the win as he pitched a complete game shutout, giving up just three hits, while striking out three. Roy Halladay (1-1, 2.25) took the lost as he went eight innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with two hits, a single and a double, while Chase Utley had the other Phil hit, a single, as the offense once again became a non-entity during a series, as the team gets knocked out early by the much more effective Cards.

With the lost, the Phils are now back to square one, while they might be facing 2012 with the lost of several players through free agency (Ryan Madson, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez) while looking at the prospect of having no Ryan Howard during all of 2012 because of his achillies tendon injury. This is not going to be a fun fall and winter. GRRRRRR!!!!

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